Reports and directives relating to the tour of the exhibition and the opening and closing ceremonies (1949 - 1951); correspondence (1950 - 1951); official photographs of exhibition construction, events, sites and visitors (1950 - 1951); examples of stationery (1951); exhibition catalogues (1951); marshal badges (1951); postcards (1951); press releases (1951); printed ephemera (1951); publications (1951); souvenir newspapers (1951); tickets (1951); guides to districts around Britain (1951 - 1952).
George Backhouse, Chief Executive Officer for the Festival of Britain, papers
Archive Collection
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- ReferenceGB 73 AAD/1994/9
- Dates of Creation1948 - 1953
- Name of Creator
- Language of MaterialEnglish
- Physical Description227 files
Scope and Content
Administrative / Biographical History
George Backhouse was employed in 1948 as the Chief Executive Officer of the Festival Office, which was responsible for the personnel and the organisation of the Festival of Britain. The Festival Office was established in 1948 to undertake the organisation and management of official projects connected with the Festival. The head office was at Savoy Court in the Strand, London. Staffing was in part achieved by transfer from the Central Office of Information's Exhibition Unit. George Backhouse employed other staff recruited through the Ministry of Labour. The administrative branches were managed by personnel loaned from other government departments. In addition Backhouse was responsible for the security force for the exhibition, as well as the operational staff and supervisors. At its peak the Office employed 772 core staff, 29 industrial staff and 1,908 operational staff to work on the Festival. Staffing levels dropped rapidly as the exhibition finished. The Festival Office closed in March 1953.
The Festival of Britain was held in 1951 as a celebration of peace and to demonstrate British achievement in the arts, industrial design and the sciences. Although the main site of the Festival was the South Bank, London, it was also promoted as a nationwide event with sites in Belfast, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Festival ship Campaniavisited ports around the country and every town marked the occasion in some way, for example with a music festival or pageant. The exhibition proved to be immensely popular, attracting 8.5 million visitors to the South Bank in five months.
Access Information
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Acquisition Information
Gift of George Backhouse, 1994.
Conditions Governing Use
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